Fail to give it, and they'll still send the authorities, no matter what else you say. They'll also ask for your safe word - a secret password of your choice that acts like an extra vocal PIN for the system. If the alarm is ever tripped, your phone will ring and a SimpliSafe representative will ask if everything's OK. If you're paying $28 a month for the full system controls, you'll be able to arm and disarm the system from the SimpliSafe app, or arm it on your way out the door with a quick voice command to Alexa or Google. Punch it into the keypad, and it will appear as if the alarm is canceled and the system disarmed, but SimpliSafe will still send in the authorities. You can assign specific codes to specific users or guests, and you can also set a duress code for situations where someone is forcing you to disarm the system against your will. To disarm the system, press the off button on the key fob or in the app, or enter your code using the keypad. By default, SimpliSafe gives you 30 seconds to disarm the system upon entry (you can customize that length of time in the app). The system offers three modes during use: Off, which is pretty self-explanatory Away, which arms the sensors and Home, which leaves some sensors on but disarms things like motion detectors so you can move around inside without setting anything off. You can arm and disarm the system using the keychain fob accessory. In many cases, that beeping keypad is probably the first thing that an intruder would try to smash in order to shut down the system, but doing so wouldn't make a difference. SimpliSafe's approach also separates the most sensitive system components from the keypad, the part that beeps and asks for a PIN if the alarm is ever tripped. This cell backup is one of SimpliSafe's standout features, and it's one of the big ways the service differentiates itself from more affordable alternatives like Wyze and Ring Alarm, which don't offer that extra safety measure (although the more recent and more expensive Ring Alarm Pro does). The base station also includes a 24-hour battery backup and a fee-free cellular connection to the company's monitoring service - if the power or the Wi-Fi ever goes out, it'll still be able to call for help. The SimpliSafe Home Security system's sensors keep in constant contact with the base station, which relays everything to your phone (or, in an emergency, to authorities) via Wi-Fi. The SimpliSafe base station quarterbacks all of your sensors and houses a siren as well as Wi-Fi and cellular connections to the company's monitoring service. Both are sensible enough, but it's a shame that SimpliSafe eliminated the middle-ground plan that offered 24/7 monitoring for $18 a month. The other option is to monitor your system yourself with a $10 monthly plan that includes unlimited storage of motion-activated camera clips for up to five cameras. SimpliSafe charges $28 a month for the interactive plan, which includes 24/7 professional monitoring alongside other features like the cellular backup, alarm texts and video alarm verification. The whole process took me less than an hour it's not quite as simple as with Abode (where all the devices came already paired), but it's about as painless as self-installs can get. From there, you can make any final tweaks to the system settings by logging in to SimpliSafe's web portal, or by using the SimpliSafe app. With your sensors in place, you'll put the keypad into pairing mode, then pair everything up by pressing a button on each sensor, then giving it a name on the keypad. That said, SimpliSafe does offer professional setup help for $99 if you need it, but also says 97% of its customers set their systems up themselves. In my time with SimpliSafe, all the sensors performed as expected. But it's consistently cheaper than, say, Abode's comparable devices (Abode's entry sensors, for example, are $40 each, though you can get them at a significant discount by catching a sale or getting a six-pack).Įven though SimpliSafe's devices cost a bit more than Wyze's industry low, they feel much more solid, and they look better, too. When it comes to the sensors, SimpliSafe's pricing is nicely positioned: It's not as cheap as Wyze's Monitoring system, where motion and leak sensors are both $9 each, and entry sensors are $24 for three. The single biggest factor in my total price was the three cameras - without them, my total with a subscription would've ended up at $272 (more on the cameras later). I used three entry sensors, one motion sensor, one of each camera, along with a glass break sensor, leak detector, freeze detector, panic button and key fob. Screenshot by David Priest/CNET Burglary sensors The $169 video doorbell is purchased separately from your security package, oddly enough - which brought my total, with the promotion, to $630.
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